Hello I am hopefully joining the TA soon and just want to hear from people already in the TA and find out how it is going for them, are they enjoying it and just general life in the TA.
I am hopefully joining royal engineers in Oldbury.
Cheers

Hello I am hopefully joining the TA soon and just want to hear from people already in the TA and find out how it is going for them, are they enjoying it and just general life in the TA.
I am hopefully joining royal engineers in Oldbury.
Cheers

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Save yourself the abuse from all the well meaning and helpful blokes on here and use the search function top right. Get yourself down to the TAC in Oldbury for a drill night and see what it's like. Good luck.

ah some of you who are still in the services have not kept up to date, have you!!!!!! The T&C's for those on redundancy and draw down are being revised you will have to serve the balance of your service on redundancy in the TA in a Regular Unit at home or abroad. So I might suggest stop slagging the TA off as you will be joining them very soon. I am an ex regular and understand the TA although their fitness is dubious looking at my TA colleagues here in Cardiff and one known as ten bellies doubt if he would be allowed to get on a Chinnoock, doubt even more if you have body armour for him but he is a good lad. Some improvements will have to be made to the TA particularly Support Arms, but I am sure their have that in hand. One big reminder to all servicemen and woman being made compulsory redundant, appeal against it well in time for your discharge date, I was a civvie by the time my appeal went through and consequently to this day do not know what the outcome was. If you volunteer for redundancy, don't do it believe me their are NO jobs in civvie street at the moment or in the near future. Also your redundancy package even though tax free at source (when you get out on discharge) it is counted towards your income for the year, I ended up paying £5k additional tax on leaving. Don't make assumptions speak to those who have been through the system, it is not that rosy stay in the Forces if you can.

Bollocks! There are loads of jobs available. You just need to widen your expectations and choice of career field. Also bollocks to most of the rest of your post. Please provide some links to evidence of what you are saying if you believe I am wrong. As for appealing, why bother? Things are only getting worse in the Army and they clearly dont want you so take the money and run. And you, my friend, have been seen off on your taxes.

ah some of you who are still in the services have not kept up to date, have you!!!!!! The T&C's for those on redundancy and draw down are being revised you will have to serve the balance of your service on redundancy in the TA in a Regular Unit at home or abroad. So I might suggest stop slagging the TA off as you will be joining them very soon. I am an ex regular and understand the TA although their fitness is dubious looking at my TA colleagues here in Cardiff and one known as ten bellies doubt if he would be allowed to get on a Chinnoock, doubt even more if you have body armour for him but he is a good lad. Some improvements will have to be made to the TA particularly Support Arms, but I am sure their have that in hand. One big reminder to all servicemen and woman being made compulsory redundant, appeal against it well in time for your discharge date, I was a civvie by the time my appeal went through and consequently to this day do not know what the outcome was. If you volunteer for redundancy, don't do it believe me their are NO jobs in civvie street at the moment or in the near future. Also your redundancy package even though tax free at source (when you get out on discharge) it is counted towards your income for the year, I ended up paying £5k additional tax on leaving. Don't make assumptions speak to those who have been through the system, it is not that rosy stay in the Forces if you can.

lots of jobs available yes perhaps there are, but you have to get to the stage whereby you actually get an interview. Just last weekend I applied for over 100 jobs and got two interviews one of which was a yes you can have job when we have a vacancy (Delta Security). I am lucky I do get to that stage, however, most do not including experienced people like myself and those graduates with good degree's. It has nothing to do with widening my expectations or choice of career field (that does not exist in any case now, ask any graduate who is working a Nero Coffee SHop!!!!).

We all go for what we can and if an interview materialises it's a bonus. I am just trying to help former servicemen, some are under other illusions about civvie street. My experience is yes jobs are available if you can travel and remember you don't know peoples circumstances and in my case I cannot travel as I have bowel cancer.

I will look into links on here regarding the T&C's but my information is from the horses mouth at the recruitment office and my local TA colleagues who are having their T&C's revised. The Cardiff Army recruitment Office is closing that is a definite, you can ask the reception staff at Southgate House or even the Recruiters themselves. The Veterans office in the same building is also closing.

Appealing of course you have to appeal, I even appealed when I was laid off from Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) as an FM the union helped me in that matter, but JLL (an american company) moved out of Wales during 2009. If you are compulsory redundant from the Forces it is the MOD not your arm or service who generally base it on your CR's so don't hold up for a successful appeal if you are graded "B" or below and it does take along time to process and in my case I was already a civvie.

Remember I am not saying you are right or wrong but you know where I live Cardiff and jobs here are difficult to come by, the advertisements mean nothing getting the interview among serveral hundred well qualified and able persons is the difficult part believe me.